SAFETY

Chemical Spills and Leaks

Do You Know What to Do?
There is much that you can do to prevent a spill or
leak, but if one occurs, your safety and that of others
depend on your quick and appropriate response.
Prevention
Since the best spill is no spill at all, follow these
procedures to lessen the chance of one occurrine:
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Inspect containers regularly for leaks, corrosion,
worn seals.
Handle containers with care, removing only as
much of their contents as you need at a time.
Close containers after using them.
Find out how to dispose of chemicals you no
longer need.
Getting Ready
"Getting ready" for a spill? Yes-unfortunately spills
do happen, and there are certain preparations you
should make:
Be familiar with your company's emergency response plan, evacuation routes for your area
and your assigned role in a spill situation.
Make sure that the phone number of the emergency
coordinator to whom you must report a spill is
clearly posted.
Check labels and MSDSs of chemicals you use. You
should know the potential hazards-fire, explosion,
reactivity, toxicity-that might be present in a spill.
When a Spill Happens
If a spill occurs, try to avoid touching it, walking in it,
or breathing it, whether it has an odor or not. Report
a spill or leak immediately. Be prepared to tell what is
leaking or spilled, where it is, the size of the spill or
the leak's rate of flow. You may be asked to clean up
a small spill, following company policy and MSDS
procedures. For larger spills, your response depends
on your assigned responsibility. Unless you are on the
spill response team, you should evacuate the area
according to your assigned route, warn others to leave
and stay out of the area until you are told it's safe
to return.

Containing the Spill

For all but the smallest spills, the spill response team
will step in with procedures and equipment for containing the spill and protecting workers and the
environment from exposure to the substance. Team
members must wear protective clothing and perhaps
respirators. If the spill is flammable, they will avoid
using tools that spark. Corrosion-resistant tools must
be used with corrosive substances.
The first step is to try to stop the leak or spill by
securing a valve, closing a pump, plugging a hole in a
leaking container or shifting a container to stop the
flow. A barrel may be placed under the leak, or the
leaking container may be placed in a larger container
or a bag.
Meanwhile, team members work to keep the spill
from spreading, putting dikes around drains or reactive chemicals. Once the spill is under control, workers
can use a variety of cleanup methods. Absorbent
pillows, pads or substances such as clay and
vermiculite absorb small spills. Workers may use
a vacuum truck or a specially designed squeegee
to move the spill to a chemical drain or to special
drums for disposal.
Afterward
Following cleanup of a spill, clothing and equipment
involved in the cleanup must be decontaminated
according to company procedures. OSHA regulations
require each spill to be reviewed and reported. You can
do your part by discussing with your co-workers how
the spill could have been prevented and what steps
might be taken to keep such spills from happening in
the future. By learning from accidents, you can help
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prevent them.
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